Rugby has the power to bring everybody together.

Clubs and communities are environments where people should feel welcome, should feel like they are comfortable in their surroundings and should feel like they are part of a band of brothers and sisters who they can share things with.

That’s why, we, National League Rugby, are once again proudly linking up with Movember in supporting their work around mental health and men’s health.

Movember focuses on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer and this year, your support for the world’s leading men’s health charity continues to be important.

Whatever you decide to do will make a difference whether that is the whole squad growing moustaches, running competitions, match day collections, fundraising events or charity runs or walks.

Your efforts, no matter how big or small, could help save a father, a brother, a son, a friend, a partner… a man’s life.

Our clubs came together last year for Movember and raised over £11,500 with the likes of Luctonians, Sheffield Tigers, Cambridge and Bishop’s Stortford individually hitting four-figure sums.

From the beginning of October to the end of November, we are asking clubs across all four divisions to go again and help generate funds in as many ways as possible.

What we encourage you to do as an individual or as a team is to sign up to Movember.com. You can then join our National League Rugby Movember network where the money you raise will contribute to the overall National League Rugby total.

We will also be announcing an official Movember Round in the National League Rugby schedule, so we would love to see clubs double their efforts for that particular weekend.

Throughout the month, please send us your best photos so we can showcase your brilliant fundraising efforts across our website and social media.

If you’d like to find out more about Movember.com, feel free to contact Oswin Croft: Oswin@movember.com

Men’s Health Stats

Men’s Health

  • On average, men will die almost 4 years earlier than women

Suicide Prevention

Across the four nations of the UK:

  • 4,646 men died by suicide in 2020*
  • More than 3 out of 4 deaths by suicide are by men.

Mental Health

  • In the United Kingdom during 2021, one in five (20%) men aged 16 to 29 experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms.
  • In England, 8% of men, 16 years and older, said they were frequently lonely in 2020-21.
  • In Scotland, among men 16 years and older, 11% showed signs of anxiety and 12% showed signs of depression

Testicular Cancer

  • Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young men aged between 15 and 34
  • 1,105 men 15 and 34 were diagnosed with testicular cancer during 2020 in the United Kingdom, more than 21 men per week.
  • 94 men aged between 15 and 34 were diagnosed with testicular cancer during 2020 in Ireland.

Prostate Cancer

  • In the UK and Ireland, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.
  • One in eight men in the United Kingdom & Ireland will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Together with Movember, National League Rugby wants to change the face of men’s health.